Baker Speaks at Liberty Gold Coin First Strike

TREASURY NEWS

partment of the Treasury e Washington, D.c. e Telephone 566-2041

For Immediate Release Contact: Art Siddon
October 18, 1985 Phone: (202) 566-2041

Remarks by Secretary of Treasury
James A. Baker, III
At the Liberty Gold Coin First Striking

West Point, New York
October 18, 1985

I am pleased to be here on behalf of one of the most cherished

symbols of America. To strike a coin in the image of the Statue of
Liberty is to strike a blow for freedom. It echoes the struggles and
triumphs of our past, when millions who “yearned to breathe free" came to
the new world.

In the old world, that yearning was called ‘America fever.' It swept
from village to village, across a continent. It was spread by hundreds of
thousands of enthusiastic letters that poured in from relatives and
friends who had become Americans.

What was this ‘America fever'? It was certainly a powerful
affliction that drew so many from so far through such hardship. They
summoned their courage and possessions and came across the vast reaches
of the ocean.

They -- our own flesh and blood -- came for reasons that still drive
our souls today. They came for liberty, for economic opportunity, for a
chance to participate in the greatest and most successful experiment in
government the world has ever witnessed. As President Reagan summed it up
-- “they were captured by the American dream.”

Imagine the joy of those courageous voyagers when they first saw the
coastline where we now stand. Picture the sun highlighting a torch held
high by a shining goddess. She beckons. Hearts leap. The destination is
near.

Our duty to our country is to never forget why our ancestors felt
such joy. We must always appreciate the liberty that is the strength of
America.

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Without freedom, despotism and despondency fill the void.
Spontaneity and innovation wither and die. Our economy no longer could
create millions of jobs and a half million or so new businesses every
year. .

Without freedom, we are not America.

To reaffirm our belief in freedom, we preserve its symbols. This
summer, President Reagan signed the Liberty Coin legislation passed by
Congress.

One person today deserves special recognition for his leadership and
efforts in making the Liberty coins a reality. Congressman Frank
Annunzio, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and
Coinage, wrote the bill that enables the Treasury Department to mint and
issue these coins. He then shepherded the legislation through Congress.
We are pleased he could be with us on this important occasion.

As Kay Ortega mentioned, the Liberty coin program not only
commemorates the centennial of the Statue of Liberty, but it will play a
key role in raising money to restore both the Lady herself and Ellis
Island. The proceeds will help the Foundation finish a job to which many

individuals and corporations have donated a great amount of time and
money.

All Americans, from schoolchildren to grandparents, may buy the
Liberty coins and help this vital restoration. They can follow in a
tradition which began in the 1880's when individuals in America and France
contributed so generously to the building of the statue.

We hope that millions of people will catch ‘America fever' once more,
and participate in this historic venture. Then our children, and their

children, can look back, and say, “you know, way back in the 1980's,
Americans joined together to preserve a precious symbol of liberty.”

Thank you.